Distinguishing ATHEISTS, AGNOSTICS and BELIEVERS
People can be grouped into three general categories when it comes to the topic of God:
- Those who embrace atheism.
- Those who claim agnosticism.
- Those who believe in an Intelligent Creator of all things.
Let’s look at all three, as well as consider the individuals who crossover to one degree or another:
Atheists
An atheist is a person who believes there is no God, aka intelligent Creator of the Earth, Universe and all living things. The Bible flat out calls such people “fools” (Psalm 14:1 & 53:1), which is the Hebrew word nabal (naw-BAWL), meaning a stupid, senseless or wicked person.
Why would the Holy Scriptures brazenly call atheists fools, especially seeing as how a lot of really smart people are atheists, such as professors at universities? However bright and educated they might be, the Bible calls them fools because belief in God is simply a part of human make-up; it’s in our spiritual DNA. Creation itself inspires belief in a Creator and basically screams out God’s existence, as observed in these passages:
1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4Yet their voice b goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
Psalm 19:1-4
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:18-20
So, belief in an Intelligent Creator comes natural to people born into this messed up world and is expected in light of the glaring evidence. They basically have to be “talked out of it” to become an atheist, which is what atheistic professors love to do in our secular universities (You can learn about this here).
But, please understand, that the LORD has compassion — sympathetic understanding — concerning our plight in this fallen world. In other words, God knows how godless our societies are and how we are brainwashed in many cases to not believe, sometimes from childhood. As it is written: “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:9).
Elsewhere, Christ said, “Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23) to which the father of an ill son exclaimed: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (9:24). This reveals that doubt can coexist with belief and that seeking God for help in overcoming unbelief is a valid action.
Agnostics
The Greek word for ‘agnostic’ is agnostos (ag-NOHS-toss), which means “unknown or unknowable.” So, an agnostic is someone who admits to not knowing the nature of ultimate reality. In short, they claim ignorance on the topic — they don’t know if there is a God or not; and, even if there is, this Creator is apparently unknowable. If you remember Ozzy Osbourne’s song from the early 80s “I don’t Know,” that’s what he was saying.
Agnostics are a step up from atheists because they’re not arrogant enough to insist that there is no God or an intelligent design behind creation. This takes humility, which is good because humility attracts God’s favor (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5 & Proverbs 3:34).
Before I turned to the LORD at the age of 20, I was an agnostic. I simply didn’t know what the truth was concerning ultimate reality and refused to arrogantly say “There is no God.”
It should be pointed out that there is sometimes a fine line between atheism and agnosticism. For instance, someone may technically be an agnostic, but be an atheist in attitude and practice.
Believers
The Greek word for ‘believer’ is pisteuó (pist-YOO-oh), which naturally means to believe, have faith or trust. Hence believers refer to those who believe in an Almighty Creator with the ideal of having an actual agreement (covenant, contract) with the LORD.
When the New Testament speaks of believers, it’s talking about New Covenant believers, whether of Hebraic stock or Gentile. This refers to people who have accepted the Good News of the message of Christ:
…the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Whoever confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and believes in their heart will experience spiritual regeneration— that is, rebirth within (John 3:3, 3:6 & Titus 3:5).
A good verse that distinguishes between believers and unbelievers (whether atheistic or agnostic) can be observed here:
Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.
To be expected, there are other types of believers, including semi-believers and false believers (who obviously aren’t really believers)…
Abram Believed in Pre-Judeo-Christian Circumstances
Before there was an Old Covenant that the LORD had with the Israelites and the New Covenant that God has with believers, Abram (aka Abraham) was a believer and Yahweh acknowledged it (Genesis 15:6).
Since the holy LORD only works with fallen humans through covenants, God made an agreement with Abram (Genesis 15) and Abram complied as he received additional revelation from the Great I AM (e.g. Genesis 17:9–14 & Genesis 17:23–27).
Hebrews Who Don’t Really Believe
The Israelites in the Old Testament may have all been of Hebraic stock and had a covenant with the Great I AM, but they weren’t all believers. For instance, Numbers 13-14 details how Moses sent twelve Hebrews from each tribe into the Promised Land in preparation to take it, but ten came back with a spirit of fear, discouraging the masses, while two had a spirit of faith — Joshua and Caleb — in other words, they believed and so were true believers (Numbers 14:6-9). The ten doubters were dyed-in-the-wool Hebrews, physically, but they weren’t children of Abraham in the spiritual sense because they didn’t have a spirit of faith, aka a spirit of belief. Joshua and Caleb, by contrast, were Abraham’s true offspring, not just in flesh, but in spirit as well. For more details see this article.
Proselytes
A proselyte in the Scriptures refers to a Gentile who believes in the God of Israel to the extent of undergoing circumcision (Acts 13:43).
God-Fearers
A God-fearer likewise refers to a Gentile who believes in Yahweh and therefore observes some of the Mosaic Law, but hadn’t yet submitted to circumcision. Cornelius is a good example of a God-fearer in the Scriptures (Acts 10:2).
Those “Not Far From the Kingdom of God”
This is how the Lord described a Teacher of the Law that answered a question wisely (Mark 12:34). It shows that someone may not be a believer in the message of Christ (yet), but they’re closer to salvation than others. See this article for more insights on this.
False Believers
This refers to people who say they’re believers and do things typical of believers — like go to assembly, speak Christianese, and carry a Bible — but they actually don’t believe and therefore aren’t walking with the LORD at all. Paul made several references to such bogus believers (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 2 Corinthians 11:26 & Galatians 2:4) with this notable insight:
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.
The Lord also noted false ministers (Revelation 2:2) and elaborated on the topic here:
15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:15-23
Since people like this aren’t really believers, they’re either atheists or agnostics masquerading as believers because it’s in their best interest to do so or they’re doing it for carnal reasons. Such false believers can be recognized by their fruit — they don’t produce fruit of the spirit on a consistent basis, but rather works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-23). For instance, a ‘brother’ who constantly engages in gossip/slander concerning blameless believers and even fivefold ministers is acting like satan (Revelation 12:10) since devil — diabolos in the Greek — literally means slanderer or accuser. Such impenitent people are guilty of the sin of false testimony!
A good example of a false prophet today would be that pro-sodomite “bishop” who spoke at President Trump’s Inaugural Prayer service, which you can see here. A real bishop, by contrast, would boldly call those who foolishly engage in sexual immorality & perversion to repentance, not play their advocate (e.g. Matthew 4:17 & Luke 13:5).
Related Topics:
SPIRITUAL GROWTH Is Like Climbing a Mountain
FAITH — What Is It? Why Is It Important? How Does It Grow?
The Seven Keys to SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages
Can You Fix Your SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION If It’s Faulty?
(Pseudo) Science Is the “New God” and Dubious Scientists Are the “New Gods”
Understanding the Religion of LIEberalism
Once Saved Always Saved? — Answering the Best Arguments
What Is the Principle of BINDING & LOOSING?
When the Lord taught the disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, he included this line:
Your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven
This type of prayer refers to binding & loosing or intercession, that is, releasing God’s will and kingdom to reign in people’s lives and situations on Earth, including your own. It does not refer to praying for the Millennium to come. In other words, it’s loosing God’s will into people’s lives on Earth, through prayer.
If the idea that prayer “looses” God and his kingdom to function in people’s lives sounds strange to you, it’s in line with the principle of binding & loosing, as taught by the Mighty Christ:
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
19“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”
In the first passage, Messiah said he was going to give believers the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” “Keys” refer to authority or power. If you have the keys to a vehicle, you wield the power to take advantage of it. The “kingdom of heaven” of course refers to God’s kingdom, the kingdom of light. The Lord was saying that he was giving his disciples the power to take advantage of God’s kingdom. This is driven home with the second part of the verse: “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” You could put it like this: Heaven will back you up in any legitimate effort to manifest God’s kingdom on Earth via faith and love, which are the terms of the New Testament. “Faith works in love” (Galatians 5:6).
What Does It Mean to “Bind” or to “Loose”?
- The Greek word for “bind” is deo (DAY-oh), which means to literally bind up or figuratively in the sense of prohibiting or hindering.
- “Loose” is luo (LOO-oh), which means to unbind or release.
- So deo means to lock up whereas luo means to unlock.
As such, believers have the authority to hinder or prohibit the kingdom of darkness on Earth and to release God’s kingdom. The kingdom of darkness is prohibited in Heaven so we can prohibit it on Earth; the kingdom of light reigns in Heaven so we can loose it on Earth.
In the second passage Christ links the principle of binding & loosing to prayer. We bind the kingdom of darkness and loose the kingdom of light through our prayers.
Do you want God’s kingdom to reign in your life and the lives of others? Of course you do, but it has to be released through prayer. Do you want God’s will to be done in your life and the lives of others? You have to loose it via prayer. In other words, God’s kingdom will not come and reign on this Earth unless a believer releases it through prayer and action; and God’s will is not done on Earth unless the Church looses it via prayer and action. Simply put, believers have the power to bind the kingdom of darkness in this fallen world and loose the kingdom of light.
When you grasp this, you understand why the apostle stressed: “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
Someone might understandably respond…
“Well if God’s so Almighty why doesn’t he just automatically do everything?”
In other words, “Why does God need believers to ‘release’ his will through prayer and service?”
It is true that the LORD is Sovereign, which means he “reigns supreme.” The Bible describes God as “the king of all the earth” (Psalm 47:7) who owns the Earth and everything in it (Psalm 24:1, 50:12 & 1 Corinthians 10:26). Christ himself called Father God “Lord of heaven and earth” (Matthew 11:25). So there’s no disputing that the Almighty reigns supreme and “does whatever pleases him” (Psalm 103:19 & 135:5-6).
However, it’s also clear in Scripture that the devil is the “god of this age” and the “prince of this world” who rules the kingdom of darkness or Underworld, which is the dark spiritual dimension that underpins the world (John 12:31 & 14:30). Anyone who’s not part of God’s kingdom is subject to this dark kingdom because they’re “by nature objects of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3); this includes everyone who doesn’t have a covenant with the Almighty, meaning all unbelievers. The following verses verify this: 1 John 5:19, Revelation 12:9, 2 Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 2:1-2.
These passages show that the “whole world” is presently under the control of the kingdom of darkness, which is why the Bible refers to this current era as “the present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).
This doesn’t, of course, mean that all unbelievers are frothing at the mouth with evil, but rather that they’re subject to the kingdom of darkness, whether they realize it or not. The depth of their subjugation is dependent upon how far they choose to embrace the flesh, which is the satanic nature. It’s also dependent on how far their belief system (noéma) deviates from biblical truth.
We see evidence of Satan’s rule and influence all around us constantly: wars, crime, corruption, broken families, immorality, injustice, poverty, false religion, legalism, harmful ideologies, disunity, disease, addiction, death, etc. Don’t be alarmed, however, because the above passages show that the devil’s control is limited to those designated as “the world,” which doesn’t include blood-bought, spiritually regenerated believers, Hallelujah!
New Covenant Believers Are Not of This World
Christians are the “church” of Jesus Christ, which literally means “the called-out ones” in the Greek. This signifies that believers have been rescued from satan’s kingdom:
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
Not only have we been rescued from bondage to the kingdom of darkness, we’ve been transplanted into God’s kingdom as his beloved sons and daughters!
Your Prayers Are “Powerful and Effective”!
When you pray for yourself and those linked to you—family, neighbors and people at school or work—you’re binding up the kingdom of darkness and loosing the kingdom of light, which includes loosing the angels assigned to them (Matthew 18:10). Some of the people you intercede for are lost and some are Christians who are ignorant of these things; as such, the angels assigned to them are limited in helping them, to say the least. But your prayers can release them to work in their lives, one way or another.
This doesn’t negate freewill, of course. No matter how much you pray for someone and no matter how much they’re exposed to the Word of God, the moving of the Holy Spirit and the service of angels, he or she can still stubbornly resist. And that’s their choice. You did your part; they have to do theirs. If they refuse, that’s their problem and they’ll be held accountable for it when they stand before the LORD (Romans 14:12).
Praying for those whom you regularly come in contact with is to your social relations what oil is to a bike chain. Without your prayers, the kingdom of light is hindered in these people’s lives, which includes the service of angels. When this occurs the kingdom of darkness takes advantage of the situation: Unclean spirits will naturally have more freedom of movement and therefore more negative influence, which isn’t good for the individual in question or for your relationship with him/her. Since godly believers are guaranteed to be persecuted, why open the door to unnecessary problems due to skipping out on your duty to intercede? See 1 Timothy 2:1-4.
This article was edited from chapter 18 of…
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Related Topics:
SPIRITUAL WARFARE — Do You Know What You’re Fighting For?
Praise & Worship—What’s the Difference? Why are they Important?
Altars & Altar Calls and how they’re Relevant
Support for PRAISE & WORSHIP in the Bible
Did David and Jonathan Have a Homosexual Relationship?
People ask this question due to David’s grieving words over his friend Jonathan:
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
The nature of their relationship was close friends and not homosexual. How do we know this for sure? Because homosexuality was expressly forbidden by the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13) and David is described in the Bible as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22), which explains why the LORD specifically chose him to replace Saul as King of Israel.
Secondly, the Scriptures never describe their relationship in terms of “sleeping together,” as is the case when David committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:4), which you can read details about here. Nor is their any reference to the two “knowing” each other in a sexual sense (Genesis 4:1, Genesis 19:5 & Judges 19:22). Scripture interprets Scripture is a hermeneutical rule in “rightly dividing” the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).
As such, David and Jonathan’s relationship was a platonic friendship of exceptional loyalty and commitment, which was rare amongst males in that culture and even rarer between males and females (although Solomon’s Song of Songs certainly shows the ideal). In that day, men in the Near East often viewed women as inferiors and considered wives as their possessions. (That said, the great Deborah led Israel for four decades politically, spiritually, militarily and judicially, as disclosed in Judges 4, and this was according to God’s will, as observed by Judges 2:16 & Acts 13:20).
Jonathan loved David as himself, sharing his personal possessions, such as his tunic, robe, bow and sword, which were valuable property to a military man (1 Samuel 18:1-4). Their covenant of loyal friendship was evident when Jonathan had to defend David from his own father, King Saul, who was hellbent on murdering David (1 Samuel 19:4-7).
All of this helps us properly interpret David’s grieving words over Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1:26.
Related Topics:
Homosexuality Is a Sin, BUT There’s Freedom Through Christ
Are Homosexuals “Born that Way”?
Women of the Bible / Women in Ministry
WOMEN — Were They Considered Just Property in Bible Times?
LIBERTINISM — What’s Wrong With It and How to Walk FREE
Bible — Is It Full of Contradictions? Does It Promote Slavery, Tyranny and Discrimination
Does REVELATION 22:14-15 Support Eternal Roasting Torture?
A couple of people have written me about this statement Christ makes in the last chapter of the Bible because it sounds as if there will be wicked people right outside the gates of the new Jerusalem in the eternal age of the new Heavens and new Earth:
14“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
Revelation 22:14-15
Obviously there won’t be wicked people just outside the gates of the new Jerusalem because the new Heavens and new Harth are the “home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). It’s the place “where righteousness dwells,” not the place “where righteousness dwells in the city while wickedness dwells without.” If damned human beings will be hanging right outside the city gates then that would mean the Lake of Fire is also right outside the gates, which obviously isn’t true. The “new heaven and new earth” refer to the coming eternal age where “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”; it’s where the LORD makes everything new (Revelation 21:5).
The problem lies with the dubious rendering of the Greek text by English translators. The linking verb “are” in the phrase “Outside are the dogs” is not in the original text. This is significant because, by adding ‘are’ to this rendition of the text, it gives the impression that these people will still be alive in the era of the new Heavens and new Earth. And coupled with the word “outside” it seems like they’ll be dwelling right outside the gates of the new Jerusalem.
The Greek for “outside” is exó, which means “out, outside, (going) forth or (thrown) away.” Adhering to the hermeneutical rule that Scripture interprets Scripture, let’s look at a couple of other passages relevant to damnation that also use this word:
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away (exó). 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age.”
Matthew 13:47-49
Christ gave this natural example to illustrate the way it will be with people at the end of this age. What happens to bad fish that are thrown away? Do they exist forever in a state of constant torment or do they suffer for a bit and then perish? Jesus follows up with verses 49-50 where he says that angels will separate the wicked from the righteous at the end of the age and throw the wicked into a “blazing furnace.” Being cast into such a furnace indicates nothing other than horrible and total incineration.
This is further emphasized by the Lord’s explanation of The Parable of the Weeds in verse 40 of the same chapter: “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.” What happens to weeds cast into fire? Obviously they burn for a little bit, but ultimately burn up. Why did Christ use unmistakable illustrations like these? Because they’re unmistakable. Only a stuffy theologian blinded by sectarianism and tradition could miss their obvious meaning.
Here’s a similar passage where exó is used in reference to human damnation:
“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away (exó) as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”
John 15:6 (NASB)
Once again, the point cannot be mistaken: The branches are thrown away into the fire where they are burned. Just like the weeds, the branches burn up in the fire; they don’t burn forever and ever without quite burning up.
Being “thrown away (exo)” in these passages is a reference to Gehenna—the Valley of Hinnom—which Christ used as an example of the lake of fire or second death (Matthew 10:28). The figurative “fire” is also an obvious reference to the lake of fire. At that time Gehenna was a perpetually smoking trash dump where all manner of refuse was cast for the purpose of disposal and incineration. It’s not a pretty picture, but it drives home a powerful point: Those who choose to be God’s enemies become God’s garbage and will thus be thrown away—exó—and exterminated, like garbage.*
* For details see this article and scroll down to the section The Example of Gehenna: “Hell.”
The comparative Greek word exóteros (ex-OT-er-us) is also used by Christ in reference to the lake of fire when he said that the damned would be “thrown outside, into the darkness” (Matthew 8:12). So when the Lord says “Outside (exo) are the dogs” in Revelation 22:14-15 he was saying that they were condemned to the lake of fire, the “second death.”
Lastly, the Greek for “practices” in Revelation 22:15 is the verb poieó (poy-EH-oh), which can be past tense, present tense or future tense depending on the context.
All this info helps us translate the original text of Revelation 22:14-15 as such:
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Thrown away (in the lake of fire) are the dogs, those who practiced magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loved and practiced falsehood.”
Also keep in mind the sequence of events of Revelation chapters 20-22. In 20:11-15 the unrepentant wicked are cast into the lake of fire to suffer the second death. Then chapters 21-22 detail the establishment of the new Heavens and new Earth, the “home of righteousness.” The wicked have already been taken care of by this point—cast into God’s garbage dump and destroyed. Revelation 22:12-21 is the epilogue of Revelation—and the Bible itself—with Christ speaking in verses 12-16 & 20.
This article was edited from chapter 5 of…
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Related Topics:
HELL (Human Damnation) — Questions and Answers
Hell (Lake of Fire): Eternal Torment or Everlasting Destruction?
Sheol / Hades: The “Intermediate State” of the Unsaved Dead
RICH MAN & LAZARUS: Fantastical Parable or Literal Account?
Eternal Life (“Heaven”): Questions & Answers
Human Nature — Spirit, Mind & Body
The Believer’s “Intermediate State” (between Physical Death and Bodily resurrection)
Death — Does it Mean “Separation” as Religionists Claim? (No)
Can Believers Celebrate CHRISTMAS or Is It Evil?
Believers are free to celebrate any day they want; or not celebrate. Here’s how the Bible unmistakably puts it:
5One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Romans 14:5-6
The word ‘Christmas’ simply means “a mass (gathering/celebration) focused on Christ.” So, if some believers want to celebrate the birth of Christ on a certain day, it’s all good. If some don’t, that’s fine as well. For biblical details, see this article.
The day of Jesus’ birth is not precisely known, although some place it in the early Fall for good reasons, like late September/early October. Keep in mind that those who celebrate Christmas are celebrating an event, not a particular day. For more info, see this article.
Related Topics:
HOLIDAYS—Which Ones Should Christians Observe or Not Observe?
Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?
Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Is the Creator a Cloud-Like Being or Does God Have a Form?
Heaven is the spiritual realm. It’s more real than the physical realm since it already existed from eternity and it was from there that the LORD spoke into being the physical realm (Hebrews 11:3 & Colossians 1:16).
Whilst Christ said “God is spirit” (John 4:24), this doesn’t mean God doesn’t have a form in the spiritual realm, just that God is not a physical being like you & me, that is, until the Son was incarnated (Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:23). For anyone not in the know, ‘Immanuel‘ means “God [is] with us.”
You could say that Heaven itself is God’s throne (Isaiah 66:1-2), but there’s an actual throne room in Heaven, the holy spiritual universe (2 Chronicles 18:18, Psalm 11:4 & Revelation 1:4, 3:21). This passage offers perhaps the most descriptive account of it:
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits a of God. 6Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Revelation 4:1-11
This shows that God has a central presence in Heaven. While the LORD is omnipresent — and therefore knows what’s going on everywhere at the same time and is even present everywhere in this sense — God’s obviously not a cloud creature or mist being. Consider Ezekiel’s vision of the LORD’s appearance:
…the hand of the Sovereign LORD came on me there. 2I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. 3He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.
Ezekiel 8:1-3
I don’t think words can do justice to God’s appearance to flesh & blood readers currently stuck in this fallen physical universe, but the LORD is at least giving us an idea of how to regard His personal being with verses like these.
For more insights, peruse through the articles below…
Related Topics:
Created in the IMAGE OF GOD — What Does It Mean?
What Is GLORY in the Sense of God’s (Shekinah) GLORY?
Trinity — Father/Son/Holy Spirit — Yes or No?
Seven Proofs That JESUS CHRIST IS GOD
What Are the “Seven Spirits of God” From Revelation?
What is Oneness theology—aka “Jesus Only”—and is it Biblical?
ETERNAL LIFE (“Heaven”): Questions & Answers
Beware of the Religious Spirit of BONDAGE
The Bible emphatically declares:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
The “yoke of slavery” Paul was referring to is the yoke of religious law. In this particular case, a group of legalistic teachers called the Judaizers infiltrated the Gentile churches of Galatia and taught that the requirements of Jewish religion—the Mosaic Law plus other traditions—were necessary for salvation and spirituality. This included physical circumcision, traditional fasts and observing various holy-days. How do we know? Circumcision was an issue as confirmed by Galatians 2:3 and 5:2-3, while the others are verified in 4:10 where Paul criticizes: “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!” “Days” refers to strict Sabbath-keeping, “months” to the fast initiated by the Jews during their Babylonian captivity, “seasons” to the seven Jewish feasts, and “years” to the seven 7-year periods that culminated in the fiftieth year, the year of Jubilee.
Putting believers under such laws is a “different gospel,” as Paul called it (Galatians 1:6)—a perversion of the true gospel.
The true gospel is that salvation comes simply by God’s graciousness through faith in Christ’s justifying death and resurrection, “not by works so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:9). True faith will produce good works (James 2:14-24) because “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). This occurs naturally as the believer learns to put off the old self—the flesh—and put on the new self—the spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24).
This is why it’s so important for believers to know who they are in Christ. Those who aren’t bearing fruit and doing good works aren’t necessarily counterfeits. More likely they have an identity problem—they simply don’t know who they are (a topic addressed here). Counterfeits can be identified by a consistent unrepentant spirit; in other words, they stubbornly continue to walk in the flesh with no care of repentance, even after being exposed to these powerful life-changing truths (Matthew 7:15-23).
Legalists Want to Put You into Bondage
The Judaizers who infiltrated the Galatian churches were legalists. They had a spirit of bondage that made them obsessed with the yoke of religious law. A “yoke” is a device for joining together a pair of draft animals so they can be worked as a team, typically oxen. The beasts are shackled together for the purpose of work. That’s what the yoke of religious law does to people; it shackles them together to perform religious works. It’s religious bondage, which is the antithesis of the spirit of freedom and, as such, saps joy.
You won’t see a lot of joy in those entrenched in religious bondage. The Judaizers were such people and they started to sap the Galatians’ joy, which is why Paul asked them, “What happened to all your joy?” (Galatians 4:15).
Those who have a spirit of bondage can’t set others free because they themselves don’t have freedom. People can only give what they’ve got. Those who have a spirit of bondage can only give bondage. In fact, it’s their primary objective—to make people slaves to religious rules. It’s their goal. Here’s an example:
…some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment,
Galatians 2:4-5
In this passage Paul is talking about his second trip to Jerusalem where he shared his calling with the leaders of the Jerusalem church. His calling was to minister to the Gentiles. That’s when some dyed-in-the-wool legalists infiltrated Paul’s group to spy on them. We know they were hardcore legalists because Paul describes them as “false brothers.” In other words, these weren’t genuine believers who were stumbling into a system of rules and regulations, like the Galatians, but rather full-tilt legalists similar to the Pharisees who antagonized the Messiah. They weren’t spiritual brothers at all. And notice what their goal was: to make those who were walking in the freedom of Christ slaves. Make no mistake, legalists hate freedom; it goes against everything they are. Legalists are people in bondage to rules, which is why it’s called legal-ism, meaning law-ism or rule-ism.
Paul stresses in verse 5 that he and his team didn’t give in to these legalists for a moment. You can’t parley with people infected by this spiritual disease. If you give ’em an inch they’ll take the proverbial mile. Resist their legalism, pray for them, correct them through the Scriptures, and leave them when you must, as Jesus taught in Matthew 15:14, but never give in to them, not a single inch. The only exception would be if you’re going into their territory to try to minister life to them. Paul expressed it this way: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law… To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:19-20,22-23).
The legalistic spirit of bondage manifests in many forms. Let’s start with the most obvious…
Bondage to Old Testament Law (Torah)
The Judaizers who infiltrated the Galatian assemblies wanted to put the believers back under the Old Testament Law, along with other religious traditions. A good modern example of this would be the legalists of the Hebrew Roots movement, who have infiltrated many churches and seminaries. Yet notice how clear the New Testament is about believers not being under the Mosaic Law, the Torah:
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Galatians 5:18
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14
…we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Romans 7:6
In the New Testament era we’ve been released from the Law—the Torah—to “serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” We’re “not under Law, but under grace,” meaning we’re under God’s graciousness—favor—through the work of Christ wherein we obtain spiritual regeneration and are reconciled with the LORD & indwelt by the Counselor, the Holy Spirit.
What does being “under the law” mean? It means putting the Law in front of you and trying to force your flesh to comply. This never works. In fact, it will actually increase the sin problem. Why do you think Paul said, “The law was added so that the trespass might increase” (Romans 5:20)? This was the reason the Law was given to humanity—to increase the sin problem and drive us to the Savior in whom we can have spiritual regeneration. The Law “is holy, righteous and good”—no doubt—but God uses it to illustrate humanity’s miserable sinful condition and drive us to Christ (Romans 7:12).
Since believers are justified in God’s sight by faith we are no longer under the supervision of the Law:
So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Galatians 3:24-25
‘Guardian’ is translated as “tutor” in some translations and as “schoolmaster” in the King James Version. The original Greek word refers to a household servant or slave whose job was to tutor and oversee male children until they came of age whereupon they took on the responsibilities and freedoms of adulthood. Are you getting this? Believers are no longer under the supervision of religious law. Since we are spiritually regenerated and have the Holy Spirit we are liberated to function in the responsibilities and freedoms of spiritual adulthood.
While New Testament believers are not under the Mosaic Law, we are under the law of Christ:
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.
1 Corinthians 9:19-21
As you can see, the apostle Paul was “under Christ’s law,” not under the Mosaic Law. He only became “like one under the law” on certain occasions in order to “win those under the law,” meaning he did so to win Jews over to the superior New Covenant. We’ll look at what makes the New Covenant ‘superior’ momentarily.
So believers are not under the Old Testament Law, but rather “under Christ’s law.” Here’s another passage that verifies this:
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
But what is the law of Christ? Neither of these verses defines it. Yet this isn’t a problem because Scripture interprets Scripture and the rest of the New Testament shows us what the law of Christ is. Notice how Jesus answers an Expert in the Law who sought to test him:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40
“The law and the prophets” is a reference to the Old Testament Scriptures; and, specifically, to the moral law since the dietary and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were foreshadows of Christ and were fulfilled in Him:
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17
The passage is addressing the dietary and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament: “what you eat or drink” refers to dietary laws and the others refer to ceremonial laws. We are not to allow legalists to judge us negatively by these things. In fact, all of them—dietary laws, the Jewish festivals, the New Moon celebration and the Sabbath day—were mere shadows of what was to come, meaning Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. “A shadow” means a foreshadow, which is something that testifies to the reality to come. The real thing, however, is not the shadow. “The reality is found in Christ” and if you’re a believer YOU are “in Christ.” Are you following?
Everything in the Law and Prophets from Genesis to Malachi were types and shadows of the true reality, which is Christ and the spiritual rebirth that comes through his seed and the corresponding indwelling/empowerment of the Holy Spirit.* More than 600 laws were given to the Hebrews in the Old Testament and Jesus fulfilled every one of them; he completed or stopped each one of them, including the Sabbath. This is why Scripture blatantly says “Christ is the culmination [end] of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 9:4).
* ‘Seed,’ again, is the Greek word for sperm; compare 1 John 3:9 and 1 Peter 1:23.
So the dietary and ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Christ and thus we are “released from” them (Romans 7:6). Of course, we are released from the moral law as well since the Messiah also fulfilled the moral law. As such, we’re not under the moral law. Now, some dubious believers might think that this gives them a license to sin, but Paul dealt with this same question in the 1st century and notice his response:
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!
Romans 6:15
So, while believers are not under the moral law, we uphold it:
Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Romans 3:31
How exactly do we uphold the moral law; that is, establish it and fulfill it? Observe…
so that the righteous standard of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the spirit.
Romans 8:4 (BSB)
The “righteous standard of the Law” refers to the moral law, which is fulfilled in believers “who do not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.” This means learning to live out of your new spiritual nature as led of the Holy Spirit:
So I say, walk by the spirit,* and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
* Since there is no capitalization in the original Greek text, translators have to determine if the word for “spirit,” pneuma, refers to the human spirit (un-capitalized) or the Holy Spirit (capitalized). Either/or works in this case since the believer’s spirit (un-capitalized) is indwelt and led by the Spirit (capitalized).
You see? Walking in the spirit is the key to fulfilling the moral law for the New Testament believer. This is one-in-the-same as “participating in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). It means being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled and is the automatic result of loving God, which is the primary part of the law of Christ and includes “coming near to God” (James 4:8). If you are “near to God” that obviously means that you have a close relationship. So relationship with the LORD is key.
Let’s get back to the Messiah’s statement in Matthew 22:
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
All the Old Testament moral laws can be condensed into two basic rules with three applications: LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE as you LOVE YOURSELF. When you do this you automatically fulfill all the moral law of the Old Testament, which is verified by several passages:
“In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the prophets.”
Matthew 7:12
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:8-10
The entire Law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:14
The law of Christ or law of love is also referred to as “the royal law” in Scripture:
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
James 2:8
By the way, loving others means walking in tough love when necessary just as much as it means walking in gentle love. There are several clear examples in Scripture of both Jesus and the apostles walking in tough love when appropriate (e.g. Matthew 23:13-35, Mark 11:15-18, Acts 8:17-24 & 13:8-12).
As noted earlier, the New Covenant that believers have with God is superior to the Old Covenant that the Israelites had:
They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises…
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Hebrews 8:5-6,13
The New Covenant is “superior” because we’ve been released from the Law—the Torah—as shown in Romans 7:6. We serve in the new way of the Spirit wherein we receive spiritual regeneration (Ephesians 4:22-24) and not in the Old Covenant way of the written code, i.e. the Law. This is great because “the letter [the Law] kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6).
Humble repentance and faith are the conditions for entering into the New Covenant (Acts 20:21 & Hebrews 6:1) and the terms are “faith working through love,” which means faith is activated by love (Galatians 5:6 Amplified). When we walk out of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) we walk out of faith and thus negate it, which isn’t good because faith is the foundation of our covenant. Why is “faith working through love” so important? Because love is the fulfillment of the moral law. It’s the law of Christ, the law of love.
Needless to say, if you come across a church, a group or any Christian in general who advocates putting believers under the Old Testament Law—including observing the Saturday Sabbath—flee for your spiritual welfare. These types adhere to a “different gospel” (Galatians 1:6). Some obvious modern examples include: The Hebrew Roots movement, adherents of Armstrongism (e.g. the United Church of God and the Philadelphia Church of God) and the Seventh-Day Adventists.
For important details on this topic see this article.
Bondage to the Mosaic Law is just one type of this form of legalism. Spiritual bondage can manifest in several different ways. Here’s another example…
A Church With a Spirit of Bondage
Carol and I visited an assembly for a couple of months to consider joining. We went to every service for these two months, two a week, along with a special service at a linking fellowship as well. We walked in love and faithfully supported the church both financially and prayerfully. I had researched the group online and basically agreed with their doctrinal statement and general vision, but just because something looks good on paper doesn’t mean it’s good in reality. I’ve known women, for example, who married men claiming to own companies, yachts, vacation cabins, etc., but it all turned out to be untrue.
The first bad sign was that the pastor was consistently prune-faced and continually looked at us with a suspicious eye. Being prune-faced indicates a lack of joy (and I don’t mean “prune-faced” solely in a physical sense, as there may be legit reasons for this; I’m talking about the sourpuss disposition behind a prune-face). The second bad sign was that the believers had to sign an attendance sheet at the beginning of each service and check whether they were a member or a visitor, which made us feel like we were back in grade school. The third bad sign was the requirement that believers had to have permission from the pastor to pray for other believers during services and, in fact, required authorized necklace tags. The fourth bad sign was that the apostle of the church was ridiculously aloof and unfriendly. The fifth bad sign was that the pastor compared joining the sect to a marriage contract. Carol and I couldn’t help wondering: Did this mean “divorce” from the church was forbidden? Couldn’t believers just leave if they no longer wanted to be a part of the group? Why not? The sixth bad sign was that the pastor described her submission to the apostle of the church in a disturbing manner. In a sermon she explained that she submitted everything in her life to this man, including her marriage. It sounded weird and even creepy. Does the Bible encourage this type of extreme submission between a pastor and an apostle? No, the Scriptures actually instruct us to “submit to one another out of reverence to Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). It’s a mutual thing and healthy for unity in the body. The radical submission the pastor was talking about was the result of the apostle fostering it. She submitted to him in a bad way and, in turn, projected this same unhealthy submission on to her congregants. Bondage begats bondage.
We overlooked all this, however, since the praise & worship was good and some of the other believers were genuinely fruit-bearing, including the assistant pastor—the pastor’s husband—whom we got along with well.
We realized that we’d likely have to go through some religious hoops to be part of this group even though I already had ministry credentials and a history of proven service, including numerous sermons and a couple self-published books. No problem. The first “hoop” was a series of orientation meetings with the pastor and the assistant pastor, her husband. These meetings included reading material from an introductory booklet and going over questions and answers with the pastors. Since Carol and I were seasoned believers with a long history of service we sort of rolled our eyes at this initiation “hoop,” but we humbled ourselves and were willing to go through such formalities in order to join the group and get things moving.
I should add here that the New Testament certainly provides guidelines for those who want to be servant-leaders in the Church (e.g. 1 Timothy 3). This is simply a matter of wisdom. After all, those who serve in leadership positions should have proven character, humility being especially important in light of Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5. This is vital because Christian leaders have influence and their influence should be positive, not abusive. But wise guidelines for leadership are not what I’m talking about when I say this church had a spirit of bondage. I’m talking about such an obsession with rules that it smacked of bondage. Think about it, believers couldn’t even pray for fellow believers unless they had an authorized neck-tag! And merely joining the church was likened to Marriage! (I’m of course talking about joining their assembly since believers are already a part of the Church). This is the textbook definition of “legal-ism”—obsession with laws to the point that it squeezes out all life and sense of freedom.
Getting back to the story, Carol and I received the booklet and were instructed to go over it before the first meeting; this included answering numerous questions in the booklet. It didn’t take long for us to conclude that we weren’t going to be able to go through with it. The booklet was ridiculous. The questions went on and on and, frankly, many of them were nosy. It was so bad we half-expected to be asked to list every sin we had committed in the last five years and then be told to openly confess them in front of the congregation! (Lol). Quite a few of the questions concerned things that were no one’s business, including the pastors. We’d be willing to answer some or all of them, as long as we were allowed to ask the pastors the same questions. After all, why should we divulge our entire history and private lives to these relative strangers, unless they were willing to do the same? Aren’t leaders in the Church commissioned to be servants—even slaves in a figurative sense—to those they’re called to serve? See Mark 10:42-45. The intimate questions were an obvious attempt to acquire power over any believer who was considering joining their church.
So I called the assistant pastor and said I’d like to talk with him personally, not just about the absurd booklet, but also about the other bad signs we observed. He tried to get me to elaborate on the phone but I insisted that we get together face-to-face since this was serious stuff that should be discussed in person. He said he’d get back to me, but never did. I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to anyway. His wife, the pastor, obviously told him not to meet with me. I’m sure she concluded that I was “of the devil” when, in fact, I simply wanted to share some things from the viewpoint of an outside observer and mature believer, things that would benefit their ministry. It’s called constructive criticism and it’s a biblical principle (Proverbs 27:17).
Needless to say, we had no intention of going back to this particular fellowship.
Unjust Ostracizing
About eight weeks later my wife ran into a couple from that assembly while we were shopping at a department store (Carol & I were separate in the store). We were friends with this couple during our two months at this church. Carol immediately recognized them, gave a cheerful greeting, and asked how they were doing. Incredibly, all she got in return was dead looks and uncomfortable silence—they totally snubbed her! If you know my wife, Carol, you know that she’s the quintessence of sweetness and doesn’t deserve this type of legalistic mistreatment. It pained me when I met up with her shortly later because she was obviously shaken by the encounter and just wanted to leave the store. After we got into the car and drove away she told me what happened and I encouraged her to just laugh it off. You can be sure this couple didn’t treat Carol this way merely because we decided their church wasn’t for us; more likely the pastor slandered us to the congregation. I’m sure she told them we were “of the devil” or something to this effect. How sad. We prayed for the couple and their church, and let it go.
If you’ve experienced this type of unjustified treatment be encouraged because Jesus said you’re blessed when people falsely accuse you and mistreat you (Matthew 5:10-12). Great is your reward in Heaven! This is why I encouraged Carol to laugh it off.
Fifteen months later, we ran into the pastor and her husband at a restaurant, but they refused to acknowledge us even though it was clear they recognized us. This was another overt snubbing.
Now, think about it, what did we do to deserve this type of treatment? We went to their church for two months and attended every service, including the mid-week service and a special one at another assembly. While we were there we walked in love, we prayed for the people regularly, we generously supported the church financially and we didn’t cause trouble in any way. Our last communication with them was when I called the assistant pastor after reading their introductory booklet; all I asked was if we could get together to discuss a few things. That’s it. I never said what it was and never criticized their fellowship. I was going to wait to offer constructive criticism in a loving manner when we sat down together face to face.
My point is that Carol & I did nothing to deserve being ostracized by the pastors and their congregation members. Unless, of course, it’s a sin to attend every service for two months, walk in love, regularly intercede, financially support and not cause trouble! Think about how absurd this is. Something is direly wrong with a church when believers are mistreated like this. It’s Christianity gone wrong!
Also consider this: The pastors’ decision to denounce us to their congregants and to ostracize us when meeting in public actually proved that our decision to not plant ourselves in their church was the right one. Thankfully, the Lord moved us to leave after discerning the red flags. This prevented us from getting entangled and wasting our time and support. This is important because the more you get entangled in a group like this one the harder it is to get out.
Again, this ministry may have looked fine on paper but, in practice, they had a serious spirit of bondage, at least this particular assembly did. And a spirit of bondage screams legalism. It’s the antithesis of the spirit of Christ, which is a spirit of freedom.
Unfortunately, unjust ostracizing like this happens way too often in the Church. I listened to an audio sermon yesterday and the minister was teaching on what to do when people decide to leave a church. He shared how he and his family went to a large fellowship in the Midwest, USA, where he was an associate pastor. The company he worked for offered a better position in another city and, after seeking the Lord, he took it; but this meant his family would have to leave the assembly. The church leaders laid hands on them and prayed during a brief ceremony, but he discerned that their hearts really weren’t in it. The reason the ceremony was so cold and mechanical was the church’s undercurrent mentality on occupational transfers: It was wrong to take a job offer that would take you and your family away from their church. This was all verified in the ensuing months as all relations with the members of their former fellowship ceased. It hurt because these people were spiritual family and close friends for many years. They grieved for a period, but the Lord healed their hearts and blessed them with close relationships in their new location. It wasn’t until five years later that a brother from their former assembly contacted them and sought fellowship—five years.
Another minister shared in a sermon how, years prior, he informed the senior pastor of his church that he had decided to leave and pursue other ministerial endeavors. He had been serving as an associate at this fellowship. The pastor sternly told him that it wasn’t God’s will for him to go and, if he did, he’d “come back crawling on his hands and knees!” Can you believe it? Understandably, he decided right then and there that—even if he were reduced to crawling on his hands and knees—he certainly wasn’t going back to that church!
Yesterday I read an email from a brother who shared his testimony. He grew up in a sect steeped with tradition. When he was in the Navy in his late teens some Evangelical believers would invite him to revivals or church services, but he couldn’t go because his denomination viewed any such activity as a mortal sin worthy of condemnation to hell!
Bondage to a Church or Freedom in Christ?
The problem with this type of mentality is that it’s religious bondage. The threats come in different forms, which may be subtle or pronounced, but the objective is the same: To keep believers shackled to the assembly or sect in question. In some churches prophecies are given stating that the individual has to stay at the fellowship. The reason legalistic leaders resort to these kinds of tactics is to prevent “their sheep” from leaving, but congregants aren’t really their sheep, they’re God’s sheep. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and pastoral leaders are actually under-shepherds. Notice what the Bible says in this regard:
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds [pastors] of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
1 Peter 5:1-4
Pastors who fall into legalism mistakenly think that the believers at their church are their flock when, in reality, they’re “God’s flock” who are merely entrusted to the pastor’s care for a season. When ministers fall into this mentality, they naturally start “lording it over” the congregants. They’ll use threats to prevent individuals from leaving and they’ll ostracize those who do. Again, the threats come in different forms and may be subtle or overt.
But why do they ostracize those who leave? One reason is immaturity and insecurity. When believers leave, these types of pastors feel rejected and their ego is hurt, so they lash out through ostracizing. This includes denouncing them to their remaining congregants and snubbing them if they meet in public. I wouldn’t believe this type of thing happens if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but it does.
The problem with this mentality—other than the fact that it’s fleshly and abusive—is that it starts to create a closed community. Churches that cop it become like gated communities where people aren’t free to come and go as they choose. As such, the very thing the legalistic leaders fear starts to come to pass and the congregation becomes spiritually inbred because there’s little flow of new blood, if any.
God has blessed humankind with the power of volition and respects our decisions. The LORD provided the Israelites with two options—life or death. He encouraged them to choose life and warned them of the consequences of choosing death, but he didn’t force them to make the right decision. He does the same thing with all humanity in the New Testament (Deuteronomy 30:19 & Romans 6:23). Just as God respects our power of decision so we must extend this freedom to our fellow believers. If we think they’re making a mistake we can tell them so and explain why. We can even issue a warning in love if we feel compelled by the Spirit. But we have to ultimately give people the freedom to decide for themselves.
A popular pastor said he refuses to make people feel like they’re in bondage to his fellowship. He gives people the freedom to leave and the freedom to come back, if they choose.* This is precisely what Jesus did with his disciples. After giving a hard teaching many of his disciples decided to stop following him and he refused to say anything to pressure them to stay. He simply turned to his remaining disciples and asked, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” (John 6:60-67). That’s it. Jesus refused to “lord it over” people. He gave them the freedom to choose—to follow him or leave.
* I’m obviously not talking about cases where believers are excommunicated due to unrepentant sin a la Matthew 18:15-17. Yet, even in those circumstances the individual should be warmly welcomed back into the church if he/she decides to repent, as illustrated in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11.
The aforementioned pastor said the most he’d do in cases where he felt believers were making a mistake was to tell them so and leave it at that. Furthermore, when some of them eventually decided to come back he refused to arrogantly say, “I told you so.” Amen.
How Do the Leaders of Your Assembly Talk About Previous Members?
This is a good question to ask: How do the ministers and elders of your fellowship speak of past members? I’m not talking about people who were dismissed due to an unwillingness to repent of a certain sin—although they shouldn’t talk about that either—I’m talking about brothers and sisters who simply decided to leave for one reason or another. The reason is irrelevant. How do the leaders of your fellowship talk about these people? Do they badmouth them? Do they put a negative spin on everything about them? Do they say things like they were “of the devil” or imply that they were walking in secret sins? If so, it’s not good. It bespeaks of 1. spiritual immaturity, 2. fleshliness, since malice, gossip and slander are serious sins, and 3. a rigidly sectarian mentality that automatically discredits or denounces others who are not part of their group. All three of these reasons are somewhat interconnected and they all convey the spirit of bondage: People are in bondage to the church or ministry in question and anyone who chooses to leave must be punished. Thus the leaders justify maligning them.
This is very legalistic behavior. Luke 7:33-34 shows that the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law automatically tried to discredit and denounce Jesus and John the Baptist because they both operated outside of their circles and the legalistic mindset thereof. Consequently, they slandered Christ as a glutton, drunkard and friend of “sinners” while they maligned John as demon-possessed! This is spiritual tunnel-vision. It’s pathetic really.
The way spiritual leaders talk about genuine ministers and believers who function outside of their accepted circles speaks volumes. Take heed.
Bondage to the Pastor’s Limited Understanding of Scripture
I went to a charismatic “mega-church” for a decade, which involved most of my 20s. The pastor and much of his staff hailed from a Bible college of a well-known charismatic minister who has since passed on. The church was exemplary on almost every level—the teaching of the Word, the praise & worship, God’s presence, and the flow of gifts of the Spirit. It was an outstanding church. Since the pastor was hooked-up with this ministry he naturally adhered to their doctrinal mindset. This is the way it is at most churches. Even so, it didn’t smother the spirit of freedom. Yes, there were doctrinal parameters set and the congregants weren’t advised to go beyond them but, at the same time, there was a sense of freedom and believers were very much encouraged to explore the Bible and its many topics. We were encouraged to be thorough, balanced and honest in our studies. We were also free to leave the fellowship if we wanted, without any threat of ostracizing.
Needless to say, this was a healthy assembly and well worthy of investing one’s time, even if you didn’t happen to agree with every jot and tittle. (Who agrees with anyone about everything anyway? Is that even healthy?).
Another church my wife and I went to for seven years had even more of a spirit of freedom. The pastor was one of those scatterbrained preachers who wasn’t really able to teach, but he allowed qualifying individuals the opportunity to teach, as long as they could support what they taught by the Scriptures. I taught there often, typically every other week. There were two or three praise & worship leaders and it was very lively. Although I disagreed with the pastor in some areas—usually because he hadn’t studied the particular topics in detail like I had—it didn’t matter. The saying “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity” was our unofficial creed and practice. There was such a spirit of freedom and Carol & I literally loved going to the gatherings.
These two churches comprised 17 years of my Christian walk. I mention them to point out that you can be hooked-up with a church where there are general doctrinal parameters and you don’t necessarily agree with every jot and tittle, but there’s still an air of liberty in Christ, which is the way it should be.
Unfortunately, some assemblies aren’t like this. In many fellowships the congregants are pretty much in bondage to the pastor’s understanding of the Scriptures. Questioning what the pastor teaches from the pulpit or the doctrinal parameters of the sect is strongly discouraged. This rule may be unofficial and unwritten, but it’s still there. It pervades the atmosphere. Those who merely question the pastor’s belief system are marked and not allowed into the inner circle of the governing structure. Such people eventually leave and understandably so.
What’s so bad about this type of environment? It’s bad because it tends to produce robotic “yes men,” but it fails to produce believers who are free to know the Lord and grow in knowledge, understanding and wisdom through their own pursuit of God and truth.
Unless you want to become a mindless automaton, beware of this type of bondage.
The Bondage of Pastoral Dependency
Some pastors encourage a spirit of dependency in their congregants, which simply isn’t healthy. For instance, I’ve been in some churches where the believers are never taught how to pray effectively. Instead, they’re encouraged to have the pastor or other speaker pray for them at the end of the service. The Bible encourages this to some degree (James 5:14-15), but it shouldn’t become a lifestyle of dependency where the same people come up for the same things on a regular basis. Why is this wrong? Because it discourages believers from developing their own prayer life and utilizing their own faith to receive answers, healings and miracles. It fosters an unhealthy dependency on the pastor and pastoral staff. In short, it encourages spiritual immaturity.
Why would pastors want to cultivate such a spirit in the believers entrusted to their care? Likely because they enjoy feeling needed and it feeds their ego to have people dependent on them. It’s also a security issue. If believers are dependent on the pastor they’re less likely to leave. Thus, to all intents and purposes the people become in bondage to the pastor.
What kind of minister would cultivate such an unhealthy dependency? Those who fall into legalism. This doesn’t mean they’re wholly infected, of course, but any amount of legalism is too much.
Wise and godly ministers, by contrast, would never cultivate such an environment in their churches. Notice what the Bible says about ministers and their purpose in the body of Christ:
It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13
These five positions or callings comprise the “fivefold ministry”—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. All five are important and have their specific place and function in the body of Christ. Yet notice that they all have the same general fourfold purpose: 1. To prepare God’s people for works of service, that is, works of ministry; 2. to build up God’s people and not tear them down; 3. to feed a balanced diet of God’s Word in a way that cultivates unity in faith and knowledge; and 4. to help bring the believer into maturity.
All four are important, but I want to stress the fourth function. One of the main purposes of fivefold ministers is to facilitate maturity in the believer, not foster a spirit of dependency!
All believers are dependent to varying degrees on their pastors while growing up spiritually, but it’s unnatural for them to stay dependent. In a sense, fivefold ministers are spiritual parents, which is why Paul referred to himself as the father of the believers at Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:15).* He started the church and pastored it for a couple years, feeding them God’s Word, so he was in essence their spiritual parent. Don’t physical children eventually leave home to go to college, work, get married and start families? Wouldn’t it be absurd for a child to grow into full adulthood and still be in a crib with a pacifier, completely dependent upon his or her parents? Of course it would. Yet this happens too often in the Church in a spiritual sense. It shouldn’t. Believers need to move on to maturity, not be locked-up in the spiritual nursery all their lives!
* This doesn’t mean that “father” should become a title, as in “Father Thomas.” Paul was the spiritual father of the Corinthian church but the believers didn’t call him Father Paul. Jesus denounced this type of practice in Matthew 23:7-11.
In healthy churches the congregants are encouraged to grow to spiritual adulthood and bear forth fruit; they’re not hampered by dependency to fivefold ministers. One minister put it to me like this: “My job is to become unnecessary in the life of the believer.” He wasn’t saying that believers no longer need to go to church gatherings once they reach spiritual maturity, but rather that they should come to the point where they’re no longer dependent on pastors for every little thing. Say if a neighbor or someone at work needs prayer, the believer should handle it instead of calling the pastor. If a family member is in the hospital, the believer should go and visit instead of asking the pastor. If the believer feels led to do something important, like take a new job or move to another location, the believer should pray about it and get a confirmation from the Holy Spirit rather than requiring the pastor to instruct him/her. Etcetera.
This is the way it should be when believers grow properly.
Take an honest look at your church assembly. Does it cultivate a spirit of dependency in the congregants? If so, it’s not good. Do your part to help set it free from this infection of legalism. If they’re stubborn and refuse to change you may have to leave. Be led of the Lord.
Beware of the Spirit of Bondage
Needless to say, if the group you’re involved with, or thinking about getting involved with, seems obsessed with rules to the point that being a member feels more like bondage than freedom it’s a huge red flag. Are the leaders prune-faces? Are they more interested in lording it over you than serving? Do they require you to answer a bunch of nosey questions but show offense if you desire to ask them the same? Is being part of their group likened to a marriage contract and you can’t just leave if you want? Do they unjustly denounce and shun believers who simply decided to leave the fellowship? Do you feel like you’re boxed-in or trapped by the pastor’s limited understanding of the Bible? Do you feel pressured to believe everything that’s taught from the pulpit without question? Is questioning discouraged? Is seeking truth discouraged? Is everything figured out to a ‘T’ with no room for mystery or variation? Do you feel like you can’t legitimately disagree without being shut out in some manner? Does the assembly encourage unhealthy dependency to the pastor and associates rather than fostering spiritual maturity? Beware!
Remember, Christ came to set people free from the yoke of religious bondage. Groups that develop an environment of bondage are the antithesis of the true Christian spirit.
Stand Firm in Your Freedom!
Take another look at this important verse:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
As pointed out at the beginning of this article, Paul was talking about freedom from the bondage of religious law, the system of rules and regulations that can only give an appearance of spirituality by imposing restraints, but has no real power to set people free and change them. God wants believers to be totally free, not just from the works of the flesh—which Paul also addresses in Galatians 5—but from the bondage of religious law.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Let that soak in—freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom. Make it a soothing meditation throughout the day—freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom. Shout it from the rooftops—“freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom!”
If you think I’m getting carried away, you’re wrong. The message of freedom is something every believer needs to understand. It’s foundational to walking in the abundant life that Jesus Christ offers.
Notice in the above passage that there’s something we need to do in order to walk in freedom—we have to “stand firm.” We have to be careful not to allow legalists to bog us down with their religious burdens. ‘Stand firm’ is translated as “stand fast” in other versions. It’s a military expression meaning to hold one’s ground.
Our freedom in Christ was bought at a great price—the humbling, suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, sent by the Father to reconcile the world to himself and grant us everlasting life. Freedom didn’t come easy and we won’t keep it without effort; we must continually be on our guard.
Political freedom comes at a great price and citizens have to be vigilant to guard it. Citizens of the kingdom of God must be every bit as vigilant to preserve and protect our spiritual freedom. There are enemies to both political and spiritual freedom who would want nothing more than to enslave us, but they can only do it if we allow it. We must be on our guard, constantly.
Don’t think the threat of legalism can only come from some peculiar group outside your normal Christian circles. As previously stressed, legalism can infect anyone, anywhere, anytime, regardless of sectarian tag or belief system. It could infect a respected colleague like it did Peter in Antioch when Paul had to openly correct him for giving in to the legalists (Galatians 2:11-14). In fact, legalism can infect you or me, which is why we must regularly examine ourselves and purge as necessary (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Expect Persecution
Lastly, any believer who’s walking in the true freedom and abundant life of Christ should expect some of the mistreatments described in this article, like slander and shunning by people of former churches. Why expect it? Because the Bible promises that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). ‘Persecuted’ means mistreated or abused.
Speaking of mistreatment by those from former assemblies, don’t expect all your persecution to come from those in the world. After all, Jesus’ main enemies were religious leaders who knew the Scriptures like the backs of their hands! A lot of the unjust persecutions you will face will be from people who say they’re believers and are even leaders in churches. Why? Because religionists will not stand idly by while you live free in the Lord and strive to set others free. As soon as they see the light of liberty in your eyes and your actions they’ll rise up and try to snuff you out with great sourpuss zeal.
You can bank on these types of experiences now and then because we’re in the midst of a spiritual war. When legalists brush shoulders with liberated believers it’s like death clashing with life. It may take some time for their true colors to show but they will always eventually gnash their teeth in unreasoning religious hostility. It’s like mixing oil with water; they don’t gel. Not that there’s no hope for them; there’s hope for everybody. Continue to intercede for them in the hope that the truth may set them free. Amen.
This article was edited from Chapter 6 of…
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Related Topics:
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
SECTARIANISM — What Is It? What’s Wrong With It?
Beware of RELIGIOUS FORMAL DEATH
Condemnation & Authoritarianism
LEGALISTS Are Obsessed With the LETTER of the LAW
Christianity — Does it Weaken People or Empower?
Libertinism — What’s Wrong with It and How to Walk FREE
Why Were WITCHES / SORCERERS Executed According to the Mosaic Law?
The Law of Moses commanded the Israelites:
“Do not allow a sorceress to live.”
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Exodus 22:18 (KJV)
A sorceress or witch in this context did not refer to a female dressed in cartoonish black apparel at a costume party, but rather a woman with supernatural power who practiced occultic activities, like witchcraft, divination and seances. In God’s holy nation of Israel — a nation consecrated from the world — engaging in witchcraft or black magic warranted execution. Why? Because it was a crime against the LORD since it sought the powers of spirits other than the Creator for selfish ends. In other words, it linked the practitioner up with evil spirits, aka demons, and the dark power and deceptions/corruptions thereof.
It was through such black arts that the Pharaoh’s sorcerers were able to mimic some of God’s miracles done through Moses, such as morphing their staffs into snakes and turning water into blood (Exodus 7:12 & 7:22).
Speaking of those male sorcerers, the law of Exodus 22:18 applied to males too and all manner of black magic practices, as observed here:
9When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 18:9-13
Since God didn’t want his holy nation to be corrupted, the sentence for engaging in witchcraft/sorcery was execution, which would deter this transgression and prevent its spread in the society (Deuteronomy 19:20, Ecclesiastes 8:11 & Romans 13:4). Another possible reason is that those involved in the occult would’ve naturally attracted evil spirits and the Hebrews had no way of exorcizing people of demons at that time due to their inferior covenant (Hebrews 8:6); so the quickest and most effective answer to the problem was to execute the transgressor.
Of course, these laws only applied to the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant. They don’t apply to a nation today, like the USA, where multiculturism is honored because America is (in theory) all about freedom. So, if a person wants to be a witch or warlock in the USA, they have the freedom to practice their religion, aka spiritual belief system. This explains why the US Air Force Academy made an $80,000 Stonehenge-like worship center in 2011 for druids, witches and Wiccans as a commitment to embrace all religions, which you can read about here. I don’t approve of this (since taxpayer funds were used for a religious center of the black arts), but it reflects the way it is in modern America.
So witchcraft or sorcery is evil because it’s conducive to mixing people up with the powers of darkness and thus negatively influences the society in question. It’s like cancer in the body: it must be cut out, which explains our key text (Exodus 22:18).
In light of this, I can understand why state church authorities circa 1300-1800 in Europe & America wanted to locate and stamp out witchcraft/sorcery in their communities to protect the populace. They simply applied Exodus 22:18 to their particular community. I don’t see the problem with this assuming those accused of witchcraft/sorcery were actually guilty and impenitent. If they were repentant, they would ideally be forgiven and exorcized, if necessary. Problem solved. They would then of course be monitored for a season to ensure that their penitence was genuine, like we do today with those on parole.
The number of people who were executed during this period under the accusation of being witches was up to 40,000, according to scholars. This is nowhere close to the grossly exaggerated 8 million cited at the opening of the infamous movie Mark of the Devil from 1970.
False Accusations of Witchcraft in Church History
Unfortunately, too many executions for witchcraft/sorcery during this era were injustices in the name of God, a scam to steal land, money, and other valuables from innocent people, not to mention rape women. These crimes were committed by dubious individuals who gravitated toward positions of power so they could abuse innocent citizens, fulfill their lusts, and further the corrupt political institution that fueled the injustice, usually the Roman Church. But not always in light of the witch trials in England, which involved the Anglican Church, and…
In the Puritan settlements of America, the notorious Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 involved a couple of hundred people being accused of witchcraft/sorcery and culminated in 30 individuals being found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging (not burned at the stake, as is widely thought). Fourteen of these were women and 5 men. One other male died by pressing because he refused to dignify the proceedings via entering a plea; and at least 5 of those imprisoned died in the disease-plagued prisons. In the years after the trials, several of the key accusers admitted to fabricating the accusations, who were mostly teen girls at the time of the slander. By 1702, the General Court of Massachusetts declared the trials unlawful and the key victims were exonerated by 1711.
Needless to say, any executions or imprisonments due to false accusations of witchcraft/sorcery is a great shame and grievous blight in Christian history. But it really wasn’t ‘Christian history’ since the people who made such slanderous charges weren’t actually Christians. They were ‘Christians’ in name only. The Lord plainly said, “By their fruit you will recognize them,” i.e. those who are false believers (Matthew 7:15-23). And slandering people with the intent of having them put to death is the bad fruit of murder. Notice what the New Testament plainly says about such people:
Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
Related Topics:
Demonic Spirits — How to Deflect Them
DRUG OBSESSION (Idolatry) Is of the Flesh
Dealing With DEMONIC POSSESSION
What Is the UNPARDONABLE SIN (Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit)?
Why Do Unclean Spirits Seek Out DRY PLACES?
Did David RAPE Bathsheba or Did They Commit ADULTERY?
To answer this question, it’s necessary to brush up on 2 Samuel 11 and 2 Samuel 12.
Those who support the idea that David raped Bathsheba argue that:
- Adultery implies mutual consent, but the scriptural account supports David’s abuse of power, which suggests rape.
- While Bathsheba was bathing nude on the (flat) rooftop of her abode (2 Samuel 11:2), which was visible from the palace of King David, she likely thought he was at war with his army (2 Samuel 11:1).
- She was summoned by the king to go to the palace. In those days, when a king requested your presence, you went. She no doubt assumed it concerned news of her husband, who was at war. In other words, she didn’t go to the palace thinking she’d have sex with the king.
- That verse reads “Then David sent messengers to get her” (2 Samuel 11:4). The Hebrew word for “to get her” is laqach (lah-KAKH), which means “To take, receive, seize, acquire, buy, bring, marry, accept.” As such, she didn’t necessarily want to go. David’s men basically seized her.
- The text says “She came to him, and he slept with her,” not “She came to him and they slept together” (2 Samuel 11:4). This suggests a one-way act.
- Nathan and God admonished David, yet there’s no verse indicating that they admonished Bathsheba as well.
- The account says “But the thing David had done displeased the LORD” (2 Samuel 11:27). It does not say anything about God being displeased with Bathsheba or that she provoked the misdeed or willingly participating in it.
Those who support the idea that the scenario was a case of adultery would answer each point thusly:
- David definitely abused his position of authority, but that doesn’t automatically mean that the sex act wasn’t consensual.
- Since Bathsheba’s husband was in the army, she would’ve known if King David had went out with the troops or was home in his palace.
- It is true that subjects in that culture would naturally acquiesce to the king’s summoning and that Bathsheba might not have been aware of the reason for it. However, if she caught a glance of David eying her while bathing on the roof, she would’ve suspected the intent behind his summoning. Keep in mind that this was 2800 years before telescopes or binoculars came into vogue; so, if David could see her close enough to stir up lust, she could see him as well.
- David’s men came to get her and she went with them. There’s no indication that they seized her in a rough way or that she fought with them over it.
- There’s a big difference between A. “he slept with her” and B. “he forced himself upon her” or “he raped her.”
- We don’t know how the LORD dealt with Bathsheba after the occasion, or if Nathan said anything to her. The Bible’s simply silent on this front.
- David’s actions displeased the LORD because he A. had sex with another man’s wife and B. had the husband killed in battle after he got Bathsheba pregnant. God held David responsible because he was the national authority of Israel and he was the one who instigated the illicit union by ordering his men to bring her to him due to his out-of-control lust.
Consider the example of a high school teacher taking advantage of a 17 years-old student: Even if the student was a willing partner in the tryst, it’s the teacher who is blamed because he (or she) is the responsible authority figure.
A few other things to consider:
- Bathsheba could have simply refused to have sex with the king, regardless of the perceived penalty. Bear in mind that there’s no history of David having women put to death for refusing his sexual advances. So the likelihood of her dying for doing so is nil.
- She willingly and readily became David’s wife after the time of grieving for Uriah (2 Samuel 11:27).
- There’s no verse in Scripture that follows up this account with something to the effect of: “And so Bathsheba loathed David because he raped her; and intentionally had her husband killed in battle.”
- David was said to be “glowing with health” and “handsome” (1 Samuel 16:12 & 1 Samuel 17:42) along with being “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22), not to mention being the king of God’s chosen nation on Earth during its height of health and prosperity. It would’ve been below David to resort to raping a woman, as well as unnecessary. The only reason he resorted to having Uriah killed was because he had gotten Bathsheba pregnant while Uriah was away at war and he was desperately trying to cover up his sin.
In light of all this, I suspect Bathsheba was guilty to some degree in the sexual union even though the LORD pinned the blame on David, and rightly so. As such, if I refer to this incident in my teachings I say that David committed adultery and not that he raped her.
Related Topics:
Hermeneutics — Proper Bible Interpretation
The “Berean Spirit” — What is It? How Do You Cultivate it?
Why Does 1 Chronicles OMIT David’s Adultery & Murder?
How to Be a Modern DAVID Against a Modern GOLIATH
What Can We Learn From GEDALIAH & ISHMAEL in Jeremiah 40-41?
The very purpose of Old Testament accounts is to teach believers in the New Covenant era, as observed in Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11. So, what can we learn from the story of Gedaliah and Ishmael from Jeremiah 40:7-41:15?
The setting of this passage is just after the Babylonian conquest of Judah and the corresponding fall of Jerusalem. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, appointed Gedaliah as governor over the land in 587 BC and thus he was in charge of the Hebrews who were not taken into exile for 70 years (Jeremiah 40:7). Gedaliah was a Hebrew and his father, Ahikam, was an ally of Jeremiah (26:24) and thus Gedaliah supported the prophet & his God-given prophecies (39:14), which encouraged the Jews to concede to Nebuchadnezzar and his troops (as Divine payment for their stubborn sins). This explains why the king appointed Gedaliah as governor.
Ishmael was an officer of King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, the latter of whom was actually appointed by Nebuchadnezzar after besieging Jerusalem in 597 BC (2 Kings 24:17). But Zedekiah rebelled eight years later and so the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem, captured the king, blinded him, and hauled him off to Babylon.
Ishmael was one of the leaders of Judah’s surviving military men living in the open country after the fall of Jerusalem and capture of Zedekiah; he was “of royal blood,” the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama (Jeremiah 40:7-8 & 41:1). These facts suggest that he was of Hebrew stock and loyal to Zedekiah, as well as resentful of the Babylonian conquest. Responding with contempt to Gedaliah’s urging to “settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 40:9), Ishmael was desperate as an outcast and open to being enlisted by Baalis, king of the Ammonites (40:14), a county about 60 miles to the east of Jerusalem by road (aka modern-day Jordan). This brings us to our key text:
13Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?”
16But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”
Jeremiah 40:13-16
Why didn’t Gedaliah believe Johanan? Why was he so naive? Gedaliah was obviously a decent, trusting person who assumed Ishmael shared his godly perspective and standards of behavior, based on the Law of Moses. Such naivete made him an easy mark for the deceived militarist, who was also a political opportunist:
1In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, 2Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. 3Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian a soldiers who were there.
Jeremiah 41:1-3
Ishmael & his ten men took advantage of Gedaliah’s trusting nature with this surprise attack, which was facilitated by the social nature of the gathering, a banquet, in which the soldiers present would’ve but their weapons aside to indulge in food, drink, fellowship, song and laughter.
The bottom line is that Gedaliah considered Ishmael a fellow Hebrew and so flat out rejected the report of Ishmael working for the Ammonite king, as well as his malevolent intentions to murder him. But he was dead wrong.
The lesson? Just because someone calls themself a Christian, it doesn’t mean you should wholly trust them, especially if there’s good reason to doubt the individual. In the modern day, it’s unlikely that such a person would literally murder you, but they can murder your character through gossip/slander by the sword of their tongue (Proverbs 12:18, Psalm 57:4 & Proverbs 25:18).
So, don’t foolishly let your guard down in social situations, particularly in cases where the person in question has a history of carnality. As the Lord said:
15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:15-23
Let me close with a minor example of which Carol, my wife, reminded me when I shared this article with her:
Back in 1994, I was in a Christian band and we were scheduled to play at a festival, which took place at a relatively large church facility in early December. The various bands & their crews stored their extra items in a side room, which would be akin to the backstage. That’s where we put our jackets and Carol put her purse. A few hours later we went back to pick up our stuff whereupon Carol discovered that the $20 in her purse was missing (which would be equivalent to $45 today). Although there were several people & crewmembers from other bands in the side room when we left our items there, Carol naively thought to herself, “We’re all brothers & sisters in the Lord” and so had no worries about theft. But she was wrong.
Just because it wouldn’t occur to her, me or you to steal something from someone else at a church facility (or anywhere else, for that matter), it doesn’t mean that there aren’t wolves in sheep’s clothing who would jump at the opportunity due to their love of Mammon.
- Carol lost what would be equivalent to $45.
- Gedaliah lost his life.
The moral is: Don’t be naive in social settings. Remember what the Lord instructed:
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
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